The death penalty: a commonly discussed topic across America. The death penalty has recently gained more exposure because of Senator Bernie Sanders, talking about how the death penalty shouldn’t even exist. Plain and simple: It shouldn’t. Why should we teach people not to kill by killing them? It seems a little hypocritical.
Today, in 2016, there are currently still thirty states with the death penalty as a punishment. Nearly 1,500 people have been executed in the United States since 1977. In Louisiana, the odds of a death sentence are 97% higher with a white victim than a black victim. Those who killed whites were three times more likely to be placed on death row and executed, than whites who killed blacks or Latinos. Black people only make up 15% of death penalty cases, however they make up 34.5% of the population that are actually executed. With interracial murders, a black victim and white defendant, 31 cases resulted in execution. With a white victim and a black defendant, 297 cases resulted in execution.
Texas is currently the leading state for the number of executions within America. So far in 2016, the state of Texas has already executed six prisoners, and so has Georgia. Since 1976, there have been 1262 executions using lethal injections, 158 by electrocution, 11 by gas chamber, 3 by hanging and 3 by firing squad.
Now, you may be thinking, These people did horrible things! Yes, this is true. But, does it solve anything? Nope. Not at all. The south is currently the only region that has all states still legal for the death penalty and accounts for 80% of executions, the south is also the region with the highest murder rate out of the whole country. The death penalty has no correlation with lowering homicide rates and the top criminological societies say the same.
But doesn’t it cost more money than just getting rid of the people? Not really. In Kansas, defense costs amounted to $400,000 per case resulting in death penalty, opposed to $100,000 per case not resulting in death penalty.
So, next time someone tells you someone “deserves to die” or “it costs too much money to keep them in prison,” just give them the facts. Killing the killer won’t bring the victim back.
